5 Facts You Need to Know About: Ahmadiyya Islam 1. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a branch of Islam founded in the Punjab region of India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889. Ahmad claimed to be another prophet, specifically the messiah expected to bring about the end times and the peaceful conversion of the world to the true lost form of Islam. There are 10-20 million Ahmadis worldwide and approximately 15,000- 20,000 in the United States. 2. The Community is led by a caliph. The fifth and current caliph is Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Ahmadis believe he is divinely ordained. He was chosen by an election of Jamat leaders to be the head of the people. 3. Except for the belief in another prophet and the resulting caliphate, Ahmadiyya Islam is very similar to Sunni Islam in practices and core beliefs. 4. Due to their beliefs, Ahmadis face persecution from some other Muslims. They are legally declared heretics in multiple countries and there have been instances of state sponsored killings, cover ups, and oppression of religious freedom. 5. Ahmadiyya Islam has a large missionary component and have adopted non- Abrahamic prophets (including Zoroaster, Confucius, and the Buddha) as prophets in Islam as the Ahmadis have spread to over 209 countries to date. Learn more at: https://www.alislam.org/library/ahmadiyya-muslim-community/ https://www.ahmadiyya.us/ These five points are not meant to be comprehensive or authoritative. We hope they will encourage you to explore this tradition more deeply and seek out members of this community to learn about their beliefs in action. It is our firm belief that in understanding our differences we will better understand our common humanity. 11/2017 2101 L St NW, STE:400 Washington, DC 20037-1542 TEL: 202-466-0567 FAX:202-466-0502 WEB: interfaithalliance.org .